VALE RAY SCHOFIELD

THE West Perth Football Club offers its sincerest condolences to the family of Ray Schofield after one of our greatest ever players recently passed away aged 92.

Schofield will be remembered as one of the finest players to ever pull on a West Perth jumper with his remarkable ability to be equally effective playing at either end of the ground.

All told, Schofield played 277 games with West Perth between 1943 and 1958. Along the way, he kicked 261 goals beginning life as a full-forward leading the league's goalkicking in 1943 in a year where he turned only 19.

Following World War II and then spending 1946 in attack in West Perth's team that reached the grand final, it was the idea of coach Stan 'Pops' Heal to move Schofield to full-back which proved remarkably successful.

Schofield would cement his legacy as an all-time great in that role winning five fairest and best awards at West Perth from full-back. The first was in 1948 before he also won in 1950, 1953, 1954 and 1955.

He was a premiership player in 1949 and 1951 with his work at full-back both in terms of defensive spoiling work and intercept marks a particular highlight.

It was only fitting that Schofield would show his versatility once more, finishing his career back in the forward-line and leading West Perth's goalkicking again in 1957.

Along with his five fairest and best awards, two premierships, 277 games and 261 goals with West Perth, Schofield also represented Western Australia on 21 occasions.

In more recent times, Schofield was named in the West Perth Team of the Century along with being an inaugural inductee into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Schofield has remained a staunch West Perth supporter since his career ended as well and a regular attendee to games at HBF Arena.

He will be missed but remembered remarkably fondly for what he gave to the West Perth Football Club and we offer our sincerest condolences once more to his family.